Sailing
What would a pirate be if he didn't have deck under his soles or wind in his sails? All pirates start with a Sailing skill of 1 and access to a Light Sloop, once they complete the Set Sail Story Quest. (Max Lvl 30) Buying A Ship Players in Pirates of the Caribbean Online can own up to 3''' different ships at once! (Now, up to 4 in The Legend of Pirates Online). First, find a Shipwright. On every main island there is a structure made from the bow of a ship. There are shipwrights on Port Royal, Tortuga, Cuba, and Padres del Fuego. Also, a shipwright can be found on the privateer islands, Isla De La Avaricia and Ile D'Etable De Porc. Some new shipwrights can now be met right on the docks, or near them, like on Padres del Fuego, or Port Royal. A Light Sloop is yours for the taking near the beginning of the game, but other vessels are also available at a cost. Pirates playing a Basic Membership can only access the Light Class Ships. But, Medium and War versions of all classes are available for purchase by Unlimited players. Assemble A Crew While any pirate can captain a ship alone, it's more fun, effective, and profitable to have a crew set sail with you. Other pirates can be invited into crew by simply clicking on their character or click on their name in your Chat - then select the Crew icon from their profile card. Also, pirates can invite Friends or Guild members to join. Members of your Crew will appear on the left side of the screen, including their status and health. Can remove a pirate anytime by clicking their name from this list then clicking the Crew Icon (mug) again. If a Pirate goes offline, their name will turn gray in the list. You can keep them in the crew, because upon returning online, they can rejoin. Or, you can click the X next to their name to remove. Deploy and Board To board a ship, you need to locate a Dinghy (a small row boat); typically found on the beach or moored at an island dock. Walk or swim up next to the dingy. When a green circle appears around it, press '''Shift. A Ship Menu will appear, you can either Launch a ship of your own or Board a ship already at sea if it belongs to a crewmate, a guildmate or a ship that's been set to Public. If you Launch your own ship, you can set the boarding permission for others: Friends, Crew, Guild or Public. The default Friends and Crew are normally turned On. :Hint - You may need to Crew Chat or Whisper to inexperienced pirates in your crew to get them aboard. Assign Stations and Set Sail As captain, it's your job to tell these scalawags what to do! It's best for the captain to direct his crew to which cannons to man, lest they're experienced gunnies. :Hint - If you don't have a full crew, '''maximize' firepower by concentrating your gunners on one side.'' As the captain, you will need to keep in mind how many cannons are manned and on which side. Once everyone is aboard, walk to the helm's wheel and press Shift. For the helmsman, the perspective will change from the deck to some distance behind the ship. At this point, press the arrow keys or the directional keys (W,A,S, & D) to move the vessel in the desired direction - and you're off. If you have a problem pirate or a crewman who refuses to help, you can Boot them off. Click on their Pirate Profile, select Take Action then click Boot from Ship. They will be unable to return during the voyage. Combat At sea, the pirate will be cruising in search of ships to sink or flagships to capture. To sail, use the arrow keys (or the W, A, S, D keys). The up arrow will unfurl the sails and moves your ship forward, the down arrow will furl your ship's sails up and your ship stops moving forward. Continuing to press Down or S, the ship will actually move backwards - just very slowly. Use the compass © in the upper right-hand corner of your screen to keep track of ships. You may want to adjust the zoom level on the compass using the '-' or "+" to zoom in and out when looking for enemies (red ships). For the pirate, there are different kinds of enemy ships: Royal Navy, EITC, skeleton ships and later Bounty Hunter ships. The Navy and EITC sail a broad variety of ships, while Jolly Roger's forces use War Frigates or War Sloops used by French and Spanish Undead. Privateering also is definitely where the action is for ship-fighting lovers. It is effectively PvP on water. (See Main Article : Ship PvP) Deck Guns Any crew member aboard a ship can man a deck cannon and open fire on an enemy. These weapons tend to do more damage than ship's broadside guns, particularly if the gunner is experienced and/or using special ammunition. Each type and class of ship has a variety of Deck Cannons (2 to 14) but any can use all types of cannonballs. Firing Broadsides In battle, the broadside guns (cannons below deck) are controlled by the captain. Use the 1''' and '''2 number keys or the left-mouse button (Broadside icons) to fire your guns. To hit an enemy ship with a broadside, it should be at the 3 o'clock (directly left) or 9 o'clock (directly right) position relative to your ship on the compass since they have a limited firing angle. :Hint - This is particularly true of Galleons, which have a limited firing angle. Broadside guns all fire standard lead ball ammunition. However, upgraded Medium and War class ships may have a chance at firing special ammunition. And if your pirate has a Cannon Ram equipped, it may add special ammunition. Many high-level enemies also fire specialty rounds from their broadsides, so beware. Getting close to another ship increases your chances of hitting it, but also increases the danger to your ship, if it fires back at you. It takes a relative amount time for your cannons to reload, though Taskmaster skill can decrease that. During that time, you are vulnerable to counter-attack. :Hint - Keeping your ship moving will make it difficult for an enemy to fire back and hit you. Also, changing direction, stopping and starting again, will make enemy gunners less accurate. Taking Damage Your ship can be damaged by incoming enemy fire. The amount of damage depends on the level of ship and the kind of ammunition being fired at you. Chain Shot will directly affect your sails and masts, while other types damage your ships hull. You can track your ship's health in the upper-left corner of your screen. You and your crew have the ability to stop and Repair battle damage at sea, otherwise you will have to port and have a Shipwright do the work. Should your hull take significant damage, it will begin to burn. Additional damage at that point bypasses armor and does even more damage. If Sails take too much damage, the masts will break. A broken mast means your ship's speed will be reduced. Once the hull has taken maximum damage, your vessel will sink - taking all aboard to the bottom. Should you sink, all crew will awake in Jail in a Groggy state. You will have to return to a Shipwright to have your ship salvaged which can cost a pretty penny. Sailing Skill As a pirate earns Reputation points, each completed skill level earns a Skill Point which can be used to increase abilities. The maximum number of points per ability is 5''' with a maximum of '''30 total skill points, so spend wisely. Once a point has been spent, only by visiting a Trainer can a pirate re-learn their sailing skill or move points. Some abilities will not be available until the Sailing skill reaches a certain level. Abilities Passive Abilities Plundering Ships Ships collect plunder after sinking enemies which is added to the Cargo Hold; whether sunk by the ship's broadside cannons or by crew members using deck guns. Any crewman aboard when the enemy ship sank will receive a portion of the plunder upon the ship porting. When a ship's cargo hold is "full", your ship will be able to still take on new cargo. If you have a hull full of crates and you get a chest from a ship, then one of the crates is thrown overboard to make room for it. This will continue until your hull is filled with the most valuable. Once the hold contains only Materials and/or Loot Skull Chests, no more cargo can be added. Types of Plunder Crates Standard wooden shipping boxes containing basics and essentials, but sometimes a pleasant surprise. Contents Payoff Probability Icon WHEAT 5 Gold 35% Chance COTTON 7 Gold 25% Chance MEDICINE 9 Gold 20% Chance IRON ORE 15 Gold 10% Chance IVORY 25 Gold 5% Chance SILK 40 Gold 3% Chance SPICES 90 Gold 2% Chance Treasure Chest Now, we're talking BOOTY, lads - real currency of the realm! These loot boxes tend to be found on full-size and war class enemies. Contents Payoff Probability Icon COPPER BARS 25 Gold 75% Chance SILVER BARS 50 Gold 20% Chance GOLD BARS 120 Gold 5% Chance Royal Chest These beauties contain the finest pretties one can find. When the crew says they always hoping for something more... SHINY, this is what they meant. However, a pirate will likely have to undertake major opposition for such rewards. Contents Payoff Probability Icon EMERALDS 90 Gold 80% Chance RUBIES 140 Gold 15% Chance DIAMONDS 250 Gold 5% Chance Loot Occasionally a Loot Pouch, Loot Chest, or Loot Skull Chest may be found. It will take up a cargo slot as well, but usually the value of the contents is higher. Like other plunder, the better Loot tends to be found on a higher class of opposition. Materials Since the release of Ship Customization, pirates can also find Ship Materials and Rare Ship Materials for upgrading their own vessels. These valuable commodities take precedence even over Royal Chests, replacing less valuable cargo. Originally, Materials could only be found sinking Bounty Hunters or Warships, but in The Legend of Pirates Online, pirates can now find them on occasion sinking other vessels. Cargo and Mission Panel To collect your booty, sail close to ANY island and a Drop Anchor icon will appear near the bottom of your screen. Click on this icon to land yourself and your crew on the island you've reached. But be careful, if you are sunk before you dock then you will lose all that hard earned treasure. At the end of every High Seas Adventure, a special Mission Panel will appear showing the results of the voyage (including the number and type of ships sunk, the number of cargo containers plundered, and ship status including necessary repairs). It will also open all cargo containers, identifying their contents and translating its value into gold, which is then added to each crew members' wealth.The game will tally up all the plundering you did and divide the treasure up amongst the crew (Remember - more crew = more treasure) Any special plunder will appear in the appropriate Treasure category in crew members' Sea Chests, or be credited as an obtained Quest item in their Quest Journal. Lastly, a summary will tell everyone how much gold they've earned for that entire voyage, along with the rating the captain and each crew member has earned. Ship Equipment The pirate's Weapon Belt includes an Item Box for Navigation Tools that aid in sailing adventures. These items may include: * Charts and Globes * Charms * Cannon Rams * Spyglasses (Currently Unreleased) They act as Passive Skills and increase the strength of other sailing skills or provide a special ability. These 'Boosts' can be found in Loot drops from enemies on land and at sea. Boarding an Enemy Flagship The Royal Navy, EITC and French or Spanish ghost fleets have flagships stationed at various points on the map to command their other vessels. They can be identified by the red, grey or skeletal flags over the ship's name. Flagships carry more and better cargo than normal ships of the same class. These flagships can be assaulted like other ships, but to plunder them - they must be boarded. First, a flagship must be crippled. This is done by reducing the hull health to zero. At that time, small green circles will appear on broadside of the ship. Cannoneers can switch to grappling hooks (Press 8 or click the Grappling Hook) and fire at those special circles. Once a line is attached, ropes will extend between both ships and the enemy ship will be pulled in. The captain (the ship's owner, not the person steering) will get a message requesting to Board ship. By pressing the "Board" button, the crew will swing across to the enemy decks. You can choose to Parley, which means the lines will be cut and the enemy ship will sink immediately. Some loot will still be rewarded, but not as much. Once the crew has arrived on the enemy vessel, there will be enemies to contend with. Pirates can use standard melee and voodoo weapons to attack the defenders. Pistols can also be used against French and Spanish Undead. :Hint - It's a good idea to have a crew before attacking flagships. Even a tough pirate may not be able to contend with a full compliment of enemies alone. Sailing Tips * To get more experience points on Cannon or Sailing, sail with high-level pirates who have warships, since they can take on tougher enemies. To find a crew, hang around the docks as pirates come and go or look in the Public listing. * Don't just sail together, Crew up. It will increase reputation for cannon, sailing and notoriety. * If you cannot get help from any of your friends or guild, open your ship to Public. * If you just want to sail quickly between islands, sloops would be best for their speed. * Don't forget your Sailing Item in the 5th slot of your Weapon Belt. * Choose level-appropriate targets. Your notoriety + sailing level / 2 = optimal enemy ship level. Targets too high can cause your ship unnecessary harm. Targets too low give poor rewards. ** Between Port Royal and Tortuga - very low level ships. ** Near Driftwood Island and Rumrunner's Isle - moderately low levels ** West of Isla Perdida - Medium level ships ** Over Tortuga and near Isla Cangrejos - Medium and high level ships ** Under Isla Tormenta and Outcast Isle - High and medium level ships ** Hinterseas, East of Padres Del Fuego - High level ships ** Uncharted Waters (all distant edges of the entire map) - Rare high level ships Naval Combat Tactics *Don't shoot at or sail close to ships you're not ready to take on. Also, watch out for other enemies while fighting and keep focus on one ship at a time. You can be quickly outnumbered. *Sometimes a new ship may simply appear right next to you. If you have recently sunk a ship, be ready for its replacement to soon arrive. *No vessel can shoot directly aft, so always be trying to maneuver behind them, where they can't return fire. Also, Galleons have trouble shooting forward and that's where their weaker armor is. *Enemy gunners are often slow to react. If you see incoming fire at your ship, you may be able to suddenly stop or press Full Sail or Ramming Speed to maneuver out of the way. *TRUST YOUR GUNNERS! - Once you've engaged an enemy, try and keep your ship at an angle they can fire from. They can do more damage than your broadsides. Chaotic turning to use broadsides can mean deck gunners have to keep changing sides. *When fighting high-level ships, engage it from long range if possible. This gives your gunners the most amount of time to put her to the bottom. Combat Maneuvers *'Ring Around' - Enemy ships will turn toward you until they are close enough to fire. By maintaining some distance in a wide circle around them, you can ensure they never will - all the while allowing your gunners and broadsides to pound them to splinters. *'Serpentine' - While an enemy is pursuing, turn hard port or starboard. As soon as your broadsides are aimed - open fire, then turn hard the opposite direction or better - use Come About. This snaking move will continue to keep an enemy facing you and unable to shoot while you alternate broadsides. *'Double-Broadsides' - Your broadside guns can hit a target at medium-range (about half-way inside your compasses' minimum range). Fire a broadside, then quickly rotate in place. Your second broadside should be aimed about the time the enemy is in close range. *'Drive-by' - Since AI gunners are slow to react, a pirate can take advantage of their timing. Sail head-on at an enemy, then as you pass - fire a broadside at point-blank from the immediate port or starboard. Adding Full Sail will make it even more likely that the enemy will not retaliate in time. As soon as you pass, turn hard to get behind the enemy and prep your second volley. Ship Strengths and Weaknesses All ships have their strengths and weaknesses. The trick is to use your ship's strength to overcome the enemy's weakness. *Galleons back and side armor are stronger, but if you can get in front of them - you do more damage. Galleons also have more broadside guns, but their weapons have a limited firing angle. *Frigates are strong in the front and sides, because they are built to assault as they charge. But, their aft armor is weaker. Frigates can shoot forward and their aft deck guns can shoot all but directly astern. *Sloops are weaker in general. They have fewer deck guns and fewer broadsides. Their speed is their biggest advantage. *Brigs present a balanced combination of all other ship types. They will therefore not necessarily specialize in cargo, speed or firepower, but have a balanced level of all three. Game Note - Bad Spawn Ships Bad spawn ships or "pop-up" ships spawn very near your ship. Since vessels often re-spawn at or near the same places, they may pop up in your path or dangerously close. Beware! If the NPC engages your ship within the first 10 seconds of its life, its AI will switch to "highly aggressive" mode, turning quickly, and firing at a comparatively faster rate. These ships can be quite troublesome. If a ship suddenly appears near you, hold 10 seconds before firing - or face its ill-temper. Category:Skills Category:Featured Article